‘Crew’ Review: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor & Kriti Sanon’s Fun Film Sticks the Landing

Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon might seem like an unlikely trio on paper but on screen it fits perfectly. Rajesh A Krishnan’s Crew gives us some of the most delightfully funny versions of these actors – and it's all neatly packaged in a buddy comedy/ heist film. 

Tabu plays Geeta Sethi, a former beauty queen, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Goa with her husband Arun (Kapil Sharma). While Arun runs a cloud kitchen from their house, Geeta is waiting for her PF to be handed to her. Kareena Kapoor plays Jasmine Kohli. Jasmine wants to become a successful CEO but she is struggling to find sponsors. However, her real expertise is in sleight of hand. 

Then there’s Kriti Sanon’s character, often referred to as ‘Divya Rana from Haryana’ who dreams of becoming a pilot but, like Geeta and Jasmine, is a flight attendant with Kohinoor Airlines. The ‘inspiration’ is clear – the chairman is Vijay Wallya (Saswata Chatterjee). 

For the first quarter, the primary conflict in the film is that none of them have received their salaries in 6 months and rumours about the airline going bankrupt have been flying around. Management, naturally, is no help. In their crew is also a woman trying to save money for a wedding in the family and a single mother whose son’s admission hangs in the balance. 

A freak accident presents an opportunity. Geeta, Divya, and Jasmine enter the world of crime – they have to use their access to the skies to smuggle gold. In this world, they run into two new characters – Trupti Khamkar’s sub-inspector Mala who is hot on their tail and Diljit Dosanjh’s Jay. Jay has personal stakes in the operation – he is attempting to rekindle his romance with Divya. 

To their credit, the chemistry between Diljit Dosanjh and Kriti Sanon is sizzling, for lack of a better word. The chemistry itself is enough to sell the romance (one could say Jay has impeccable rizz). But speaking of chemistry, the real chemistry someone needs to capitalise on (and soon) is that between Tabu and Kareena Kapoor. They’d be perfect for a I Care a Lot (dir. J Blakeson) spin-off (only better and funnier). 

In Crew, the performances, writing (Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri), and casting go hand-in-hand – all three characters seem tailor-made for the actors. Kareena Kapoor is back with her 2000s sass and effortless comic timing; the screen seems to actually light up when she’s in the frame. Even a bothersome gag like a character constantly breaking into the same song is salvaged. And there is no hiding the fact that I’m a massive Tabu fan (honesty and integrity are cornerstones of my profession) and she doesn’t disappoint. 

Geeta Sethi does come across feeling a little superficially written – for instance, the fact that she lives with (I’m assuming) anxiety is touched upon but isn’t adequately explored. Yet, Tabu plays the character with such expertise that Geeta is elevated beyond her writing. A resilient, caring woman who just wants to give her and her husband the life they deserve, Geeta could’ve been Crew’s most powerful character and she almost gets there, in Tabu’s hands. 

Kriti Sanon’s Divya also grapples with a similar fate but is, again, saved by the actor’s performance. She’s the feisty one – the one who frequently puts people in headlocks – and also the one who freaks out easily because she is, after all, a junior dealing with monumental stakes. Her adorable evolving love story with Jay aside, Kriti plays Divya with the gusto the character needs. Geeta and Divya’s interactions might be some of my favourite moments from the movie. 

It is, however, a pity that Saswata Chatterjee feels rather underutilised especially in a role he would’ve excelled in. Diljit Dosanjh and Kapil Sharma both give decent performances – they primarily exist to be green flag men supporting the women they love and I am here for it! Crew would also not be the film that it is without its supporting cast. 

Crew is fun. And I’d missed fun. It feels like our movies have been oversaturated with the same kind of movies, some boring, some harmful. So, in that crowd, a film like Crew feels like a breath of fresh air. Most of the comedy lands (and lands well) and it’s refreshing to see women get to do the more ‘raunchy’ brand of comedy that was usually viewed through a male gaze.

That being said, the male gaze does tend to seep in in places but rarely. Also, some of the more crass jokes don’t work – not because they’re crass but mostly because they aren’t written well enough for that genre. 

By the time the film reaches its interval, you’re still hooked but that’s when the movie runs into some turbulence. In the middle, the film almost feels a little dull and perhaps that is because the heist is so basic. A heist as basic (and convenient as this) needed much more punches to land but that didn't happen. While I like the way everything ends, the middle being lackluster takes away from some of the movie-watching fun. 

The film is also often loud for the sake of being loud and that isn’t always necessary, even with slapstick comedy. One of the most well-written comic bits is actually one where little to nothing is said – Jasmine simply can’t drug someone because they’re a picky eater (I don’t condone their behaviour though if that isn’t obvious). But the cast’s physical comedy plays off the set up so well.

And then there are the brand placements that truly prove that subtlety is an art form – they feel way too fake. The camerawork, too, was a bit of a letdown. For a film that’s dabbling with the heist genre, the camerawork needs to complement the scale. Some of the shots, however, feel too basic to justify their place in the second half. The music isn’t exactly memorable though I will admit that I absolutely loved ‘Ghagra’ and I didn’t hate the ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ remix like I thought I would. But the trio seems to be having the time of their lives so it takes away the sting a bit. 

Crew isn’t by any measures a bad film though – the performances alone are enough to seal the deal. It just feels like a plane that takes off well but struggles to stick the landing because of the turbulence mid-flight. 

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